If You Want To Ask NIS America Anything About Ar Tonelico Qoga…

… then comment in this post! We’re going to be at NIS America’s press event this week and one of the things we’re doing is a fan powered Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel interview. And checking out something else you’ll hear about soon…

As usual, no guarantees that we’ll be able to ask every question, but we will do our best to come back with as many answers as we can!

I thought this was clear, but apparently it wasn’t. This is just a Q&A for Ar Tonelico Qoga. We’d appreciate readers staying on topic, thanks!

Is the game fully dubbed or is there more Japanese audio than English audio?

http://twitter.com/Finalstar2007 Ahmed alsaraf

I dont know what to ask, all i want to say is thank NISA for always bringing fun games to PS3 so thank you very much NISA and hope you keep on doing what you do and bring more games to PS3. i cant wait for Ar Tonelico 3..also i would love to see Ar Tonelico 3 PSN avatars if thats possible

Ereek

Yes, thank you very much NISA, for continuing to bring games westward. I, and likely many others, really appreciate it.

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

My eternal gratitude to NISA for allowing us to know this wonderful saga and many other great games. I know we had our clashes in the past, due to a certain mistake I don’t think I’ll be able to forget or forgive, but I’m glad to see how much these localizations have improved, and I hope we can continue seeing many more great games coming from your hands.

http://twitter.com/ZonronSekai Zonron

are we aloud to ask about any thing? even if it isn’t about the game in question?

my question is what do they think about the ngp news, and if they have any leads on what the nis(japan) might be considering working on for the console.

maybe what the plan on doing for there next project after Ar Tonelico Qoga is finish.

i am a huge supporter of nis games. when i look at my gaming collection they are the ones that pop up the most!

http://www.siliconera.com/ Ishaan

Criminal Girls 2. You tap the back of your NGP touchpad to simulate spanking the girls.

http://myfigurecollection.net/collection/ashgail Ashgail

(￣ー￣)

I vote president of Imageepoch

http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

hehehehehehehehehehe, tapping uh?

And there is touch…err MULTIPLE touchscreen… and a gyroscope…. hehehehehheheheh

Is your marketing plan for this going to be any different considering the rating

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=177803164 Stewart Mogg

What steps has NIS America taken to avoid the game-breaking bugs that plagued this game predecessor?

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1472407455 Charles Lupula

You do have to remember that we do live in an age of patches now. If 1 or 2 had been released now, instead of back then, with the bug that were in the game, theoretically, a patch could have fixed the problems. I never realized how much of a difference patches make until I did play the first Ar Tonelico and had to level up like crazy just to be able to beat a particular boss before it did one particular move, because it would freeze the game every time.

http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

Good thing she wasnt that hard (the first time), i could beat her soon using MY MOST POWARFULL SONG… She was in ar tonelico 2 though

doubletaco

A million times this.

http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

I want to hear it from NISA’s side but, I would be intrigued to know if this game provides a satisfying experience to people who are new to the Ar Tonelico series.

2nded. though more specifically i want to know why the “III” was simply dropped off the title

http://www.facebook.com/vileta Dave Vileta

Probably a marketing thing. “3″ may scare off new customers. They may see this as necessary since the other games were released on a different platform.

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

Most likely, it won’t be very satisfactory unless you have read beforehand on some of the basic terminology of the game world (Reyvateils, Song Magic, Hymmnos, and such things), since this game throws technical terms much more liberally than the previous ones, and some aren’t even explained because it assumes that the gamers are already familiar with them from the previous two entries.

Also, various characters return from the other games, and you most likely would end up missing the references to the first two games, and how some of these characters get their story arcs finally closed.

Ereek

I said pretty much that exact thing, but with more words, in the last AT3 article. It’s like he didn’t take me seriously!

I think the gist of it is that you’ll probably want to either do a bit of research before playing, or expect to spend a lot of time confused and reading the in-game encyclopedia.

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

Which covers many topics that haven’t been even brought up in the games (only in the Toukousphere and Technical Data Rooms), but also, leaves many questions unanswered when it comes to the basic concepts.

And I couldn’t agree more with you.

http://otoboku.se manga

I would want to ask them why they decided that 3 games would be everything in this series. Was it because noone bought the games? To low of a fanbase? Or why?

It feels empty knowing that this is the final installment in the series.

Except for that I agree with M’iau M’iaut: No censurship, no cut details and no edited stuff.

And please, pretty please keep the Japanese names so I don´t start to wonder why they are calling someones elses name when I play it and read one name and hear another one. I know the reasons for why it happends and all that stuff but please, pretty please.

SolidusSnake

I think you’d have to ask Gust why part 3 is the last installment, not NIS. Although I’m kinda curious why this game will be the end of the saga too, but I’m waiting to play the game to decide whether it’s a satisfying conclusion or not.

M’iau M’iaut

Well, the world sadly never had four towers.

http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

It will in the long future, or already had in the distant past

Zero_Destiny

Or maybe a parallel world that you have to travel to!!! :P And then after messing with time and space all the other parallel worlds combine and make a new world with more towers in it than there are stars in the sky!!! :D *Now I know I’ve played Chrono Cross too much lol*

Guest

I’d love to know why NIS America decided to spoil the fact that AT3 was the final installment by naming it Qoga.

“As for its use in the title, we felt that including it in there would help the sales, since it would show the more meticulous fans of the Hymnos language that thanks to their passion, we are putting greater influence on being more true to Hymnos in this title.” -from NIS America’s interview at RPGamer

I don’t buy it. I appreciate the focus on being true to the Hymnos, but the rename was still a completely unnecessary spoiler.

http://twitter.com/UESneppid Mike Conroy

If you’ve played the first two it’s pretty obvious the third would be the final, as there’s only three towers.

Methylene

I’m not getting how you can spoil the fact that it’s the last in the series. It’s not really a spoiler.

Guest

Oh yes, because they’ve set in stone that 1 game = 1 tower from the beginning, and completely eliminated the possibility of any sort of continuation beyond it from the start, right? /sarcasmoff

Not to mention the possibility of prequels…

Edit: Actually, who says the next Ar Tonelico has to take place at a tower? I’m a bit surprised at how close minded some of you are =/

AT3′s ending makes it very clear as to where the next non-prequel game will take place. Take that as you will.
If you want more of a direct hint than I’m willing to give, go watch a Youtube of the Song “Ec Tisia” with the lyrics.

~

And Spoiler ends here.

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

I’d comment more on this, but I’d ruin the ending of the game if I did. However, I can only say that the possibilities for a sequel with that ending could be either many or zero, depending on how you choose to interpret it.

kariohki

Yeah, Gust is the company who made the game, NISA is just localizing it. More people need to learn the difference between this :

You COULD go look at the official site to see what the name changes are. Which aren’t many, so far.

http://www.youtube.com/B4ULoveShine Tim_at_where

Thankfully, #NISA is localizing it, considering the fact Namco Bandai owns the Ar tonelico IP and not to mention the latter’s priority nowadays…

So yeah, how did NISA land a US localization deal with Gust/Namco Bandai, now that Qoga is the swan song?

http://otoboku.se manga

Well. Even so they might know right?

And I thought that the Ar Tonelico games were a collaboration between Gust, NIS and Namco Bandai?

I haven´t really found which one of the ones that coded everything. Yet. From the looks on things it should have been Gust but you can never be sure these days. But now I know so thanks.

For names. Yes I could go and compare them on the official site. But it was questions for NISA that were on the topic. I want to hear it from them as well.

Chris Hansen

To ask broadly
What makes this game better than the other 2?

or, a more specific question
Why did Gust decide to change the gameplay to what now looks like a Tales-ish battle system?
I’ve heards it’s kind of meh

http://myfigurecollection.net/collection/ashgail Ashgail

Sorry if this has been asked before, but is NISA planning to release Qoga’s DLC?

http://twitter.com/ZonronSekai Zonron

“And checking out something else you’ll hear about soon…”

I didn’t read that the first time! i wounder what info we might be getting, i might start drool on my keyboard!

http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

Dude!!!! Hopefully its Disgaea 4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

M’iau M’iaut

That reads too much like something we don’t already know.

SneakyHawk

There’s only one contradiction here: NISA has already stated that Disgaea 4 is coming to stores in the summer.

http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

Its a press event, I cant imagine Disgaea 4 not being there, lol.

Darkrise

NISA announced in a newsletter that Disgaea 4 is coming out in September 17th, 2011. It was during the first week that Disgaea 4 was ever announced.

http://tristsantithesis.tumblr.com/ Tsunayoshi Sawada

Im quite sure the game isnt releasing on a Saturday…

OneOkami

I’d rather it be Atelier Totori (to confirm its coming) because Disgaea 4 is practically a given.

http://www.siliconera.com Spencer

It has nothing to do with Disgaea 4, which NIS America announced for summer in North America.

Phoenix_Apollo

If anything, it should be pretty much a surprise to most of us. Even announcing the imageepoch games already would be pretty surprising.

Oh, and I got your message. Sorry about that other comment.

HarryHodd

I would be so happy if it’s Atelier Totori for fall release.

kariohki

Probably has to do with that Prinny picture floating around. There’s an article on Kotaku about it.

http://twitter.com/ZonronSekai Zonron

mmm i wounder if there making a prinny 3 game, or an announcement for a 3ds/ngp title(i here nis supports both new gen systems.)

mmm looks like i need to by prinny 1&2!

Sal

Hello NISA!

Out of curiosity, I wanted to know why the game is called “Ar Tonelico Qoga” instead of “Ar Tonelico 3″

It actually has been answered before. They didn’t want people to feel they had to play the first 2 Ar Tonelico games to play part 3. So they decided to name it Ar Tonelico Qoga: Knell of Ar Ciel so It could be seen as a stand alone title, which is what It really is.

Phoenix_Apollo

How does NISA feel about their first M-rated title release? Can fans expect more to come out, now that the threshold has been broken, so to speak?

kashiwaba

will it have Japanese voices?

http://twitter.com/UESneppid Mike Conroy

We already know that it will.

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1472407455 Charles Lupula

Yeah, I don’t really have anything to ask regarding this particular game. I’ve already read that they are leaving it uncensored and the ESRB rating seems to back that up. Just glad that it’s coming here.

Oh, I got one!
Would you ever consider doing a PS3 Collection for the first two Ar Tonelico games (hopefully, with the freezes fixed)? Since this game is better enjoyed with a knowledge of the first two games, that would make sense for people either without PS2′s or without backward compatible PS3′s.

http://myfigurecollection.net/collection/ashgail Ashgail

Ar Tonelico collection… That is one impressive idea you’ve got there mate

kariohki

That’s probably a better question for Gust since they made the games.

http://twitter.com/GamiMatsu Gami Matsu

Answered

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

These questions are better asked to Gust.

As for the artist, he’s called Nagi Ryou, and according to Akira Tsuchiya, he was chosen for the series since its very first installment because he was the only one whose drawings and designs were able to capture the feeling that Tsuchiya was intending to transmit through the characters.

This is more or less what was said on an interview he had some years ago:

“Tsuchiya – About Mr. Nagi, he had caught my attention long before… around the 2002. I thought that I absolutely wanted to ask him to work in the RPG I was creating by myself. And when I went to ask him clearly about working for this project, he expressed to me his interest in participating by saying [I also want to work in making an RPG], and then we sealed the deal with a handshake. Well, it was a little long, but I thought that the conversation with Mr. Nagi was a little sudden. “

Kai2591

Hey aquagon, just wanted to use this opportunity to say thank you very much for translating all those Hymmnos and sharing all these info~

Anyway, does Nagi Ryou have a Pixiv profile???

Darkrise

Hmm, just making sure but will there be any cuts to the jp voices like the first 2 Ar Tonelico games?

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=592869044 Jassman Nioko

this is a full on press event? if it is, its sooner than I expected.

Methylene

I’m curious as to know what was ultimately the deciding factor between T and M.

Also, it’s unlikely, but while we’re here, the music is pretty much the high point of Ar tonelico, would it be possible for NISA to bring over the official soundtracks,the audio dramas and the extra soundtracks like Ar=Ciel Ar=Dor? Especially since they add a lot to the overall story.

eliel

hmm…i know is it gona b English dub only, if so im cool with that…(english dub FTW)

Just a question about the game… also the DLC of the japanese version will be coming to NA???

http://twitter.com/DarthOdium DarthOdium

Hello NIS America.

I was curious if you could explain more about the combat? I know it’s changed a lot from the others. From what I’ve seen on Youtube it looks like Aoto was timing his attacks with higher notes to strengthen the song? In the other games it was essential to protect the Reyvateils, does Ar Tonelico Qoga move away from this with more action based combat or will standing in front of the girls taking damage play a large role in Qoga?

Thanks.

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

Basically, you have to attack when a red bar touches the red line in the Harmograph. By doing this, you cause a Beat Up, which raises the rate at which the Burst Gauge fills, and by doing it multiple times, you allow your Reyvateil to Purge. This is what changes the battle music, and raises a level of the Song Magic.

Also, whenever an enemy comes close to the field in which the Reyvateil is standing, her HP begins to drain, and she will receive a lot of damage if she gets attacked. To defend her, you can either stand in front of the field and keep the enemy front getting closer, or use a Blow to repel the enemy. However, the Blow requires time to recharge, so you can’t spam it many times in succession.

http://twitter.com/DarthOdium DarthOdium

Awesome, sounds interesting.

http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

HOW COME YOU GUYS ARE SO COOL?!

HOW COME AR TONELICO 3 IS SO EPIC?!

Im happy you guys didnt censor anything.

HOW COME I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH!?

HOW COME THE RELEASE DATE IS SO FAR YET SO CLOSE?!

HOW COME THESE SINFUL HANDS WILL BE ABLE TO TOUCH THE GODLY BOX OF AR TONELICO 3?!

HOW COME I WILL HAVE A SMEXY CALENDAR?!

And will the soundtrack have all the music available on the game? All the hymns, etc…

AND, AND, OMG I DONT KNOW!!!!! IM SO HAPPY!

ERM.. ERMM!!! DOES THIS GAME HAVE INSTALL DATA? FOR THE PS3?

WILL MY PS3 TALK WHEN IT HAS THE GAME ON IT?! OR JUMP OF HAPPINESS?

Seriously, the only serious question i have is the soundtrack and the install data thing, i dont need to know anything else, i will just freaking enjoy the game and all that it offers.

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

I don’t think the soundtrack will include any of the Hymmnos songs beside the opening, like the Japanese one does (if the previous Hymmnos Concerts couldn’t be brought here due to licensing problems, I don’t want to think about how nightmarish it would be to license songs that cover around ten different singers and about six composers and arrangers).

As for the Data Install, yes, it does have one, and it has a size of 5 GB.

http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

My god, 5gbs, aw, but ar tonelico 2′s soundtrack had some hymnos, like METAFALICA, Hill of celebration was the opening right? *currently reading the back of the disc’s box*

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

Only the opening theme (Singing Hills ~Harmonics FRELIA~, which was mistranslated as Hill of Celebration in the soundtrack) and the ending theme (EXEC_with.METHOD_METAFALICA/.).

Ren

I always wondered about something. The kanji used for Utau in Utau Oka is not the usual kanji for singing and everywhere I search for it tells me it means expression(which I know is probably some kind of pun or double meaning), but can it be acurately tranlated as Singing? I once saw it translated as Expressive Hills somewhere.

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

In the case of Ar tonelico, that kanji can only mean “sing”, thus translating it to “express” or “expressive” is plain wrong. After all, what are the Reyvateils doing when they use their magic?

http://www.aksysgames.com/ Akselziys

Does the Ar Tonelico team in Japan have any plans to continue the franchise with more sequels/prequels? (I’m sure they’ll want to continue using the engine they made for AT3 or improve upon it :D)

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

According to something that the Director (Akira Tsuchiya) and the Producer (Atsunori Kawachi) of the series said in the official JP fansite, they will be continuing with the saga, although they haven’t stated in which way yet.

However, we do know that they now are performing surveys among the fans to see what new things should be added, or which ones should be taken from the previous games in case a new game gets released.

Not to mention, with the fansite receiving weekly updates and the announcement of an Ar tonelico III light novel, I don’t think that Ar tonelico has ended yet.

http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

You seem to know too much about everything! WHO ACTUALLY ARE YOU?! Is that you… CROIX?!

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

Nah, I’m simply a fan who know some Japanese and reads whenever Gust does an update to the JP fansite. :)

http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

Hoho, an insider >8D yoroshiku!

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

宜しくお願い致します！ ^^

Croix

Who is using a very similar avatar as someone else who knows some Japanese and tries to keep up with Gust.

http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

But you are “Croix in work time suit” and he is “Croix in relax time with glasses lol” suit xD

http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

I also thought about asking that!, it would be such a shame to see all this work stop now! Even after making a great world and even a new language!. How i would love for this to continue. Or at least using the engine for another gust game for ps3.

But at the end i decided not to ask it because i dont think NISA could know those kind of stuff without asking NIS-Gust before D:

Kai2591

Yeah such a shame indeed…cuz its just SO GOOD!

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

The only question I have is the following:

How much did NISA work with Gust to ensure that the translation quality would be the best possible, and to make sure that no important meanings or nuances were lost when names or terms had gotten changed in the localization (for the cases in which they did get changed)?

I would be interest to know how felt about getting an M rating for the title. Also if they contemplated dumbing it down to achieve a T rating or not

http://www.facebook.com/people/Ex-Detsu/100001670613988 Ex Detsu

I’d like to offer the standard WILL THERE BE CENSORSHIP question. Likewise the Japanese VA question. We probably know the answer to both already, but it never hurts to ask.

Besides those… I guess I don’t have any? I mean, I assume other people will ask enough interesting questions to make the article worth reading.

Ereek

I’m pretty sure I know the answer to this, but I’ll ask just in case:
The AT3 Japanese release had more than a few bugs and glitches, such as an easily accessible debug room. Will these be patched upon release in the North American version?

I’ve noticed from other interviews that you’re going for a more “loyal” approach to naming, even going as far as a bit of retconning on older names. Will we see things more like “Tillia” even when it was once “Tyria?” Maybe a slightly different spelling of Harvestasya/Halvestasha? Do you expect any of these things to be confusing for older fans?

Is there any chance at all that you will distribute the Hymnos albums on the NISA store? I know licensing might get in the way, but it would be wonderful if these beautiful albums were more widely available for the western audience (they’re worth importing to me, though!).

I’ll probably think up more later.

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

As far as I recall, in a previous interview it was said that the debug room was to be removed, and the freezing glitches too (well, I’ve been playing the JP version, and since I installed the update it was being offered, I haven’t gotten access to the debug room, neither gotten even a single freeze).

As for the names:

Tilia -> Tyria
Harvestasya -> Halvastasha (At2) -> Harvestasha (AtQ)

You can check them by looking around in Youtube. There’s a video showing the first ten minutes of the gameplay for the NA version, and in the opening video, you can see Tilia’s Hymn Code written in there.

http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

You had to mention a video! Arrghh, it has been hard not to spoil myself until today…

This question is slllllightly off topic, but on topic at the same time.

Is there any chance to see Cameo prinny plushies. Say a Prinny sporting Ar Tonelico 3 clothes or Hyperdimension neptuina headger. I’d collect them all

http://www.youtube.com/user/EnvyMizuhashi Garyuu

How does it feel knowing one of your games is rated “M?” :D

Zero_Destiny

I know this question is broad and not really about Ar Tonelico 3 but it’s been on my mind for a while so I hope you don’t mind me asking. How does NISA pick their pre-order bonuses and limited edition packages? It’s no secret that some games get the deluxe treatment like Ar Tonelico 3 while other games like Z.H.P: Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman get smaller bonuses like magnets and stickers. How do you decided what games get what kind of bonus? Is it just that bigger and more expensive games for the consoles get better bonuses? Or are you worried that people don’t want/can’t afford expensive portable games with big bonuses? Do you like to use the same company for your bonuses? Like are all your hardcover books from the same company? Just curious, you don’t need to name names either if that’s a problem. Lastly do you think all these bonuses and Limited Editions you’ve started to give out are helping in sales in anyway? I personally love you guys for them and am glad you go out of your way to give us such nice packages and bonuses.

http://twitter.com/Leivra Leivra

1-Will you guys include the Japanese voices (audio) on the disk?
(please Siliconera ask them this, buying the game or not depends on this question)

2-I didn’t play the first two games, so will the story get mixed up with me?

3-Are you guys planning for a Demo?

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

I can only answer number 2, but the gist of it is this:

You can understand the main story just fine, but you will miss out the references to the previous games, get confused with some of the terminology, and get massively spoiled on some of the plot points and characters of the previous games too. Also, the ending doesn’t have the same impact if you didn’t play the saga from its very beginning.

http://twitter.com/Leivra Leivra

Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, well if I can understand the main story just fine, then that’s ok for me. Too bad I’m going to miss out some references and many other things from the previous games.

JustaGenericUser

Let me get this straight, you’ll refuse to play a potentially good game just because of the possibility that it might not have “Glorious Nippon” language? You haven’t even heard the dub voices yet. Seriously, now.

But to answer your question, yes it does have dual-audio.

http://twitter.com/Leivra Leivra

Well I really don’t mind to play the game in English voices, actually I prefer that. But you know that the game is full of songs, and I’m not fan of English songs, none of the English or western songs got me interested. But I’m huge fan of Japanese and Korean songs. After watching some trailers in Japanese, I got very excited about the game and the Japanese songs in the game.
But you know what, you really have a good point.
The game is awesome and the story is great (and that’s enough for me to make me buy the game), so why should I complain about Japanese audio?
Well thank you for waking me up, I’ve decided to buy the game even if it doesn’t has a japanese audio.

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

Anyway, the songs won’t be touched. It’d be utter stupidity if they ended dubbing or changing the songs, since there’s no one in this world that can match the talent and voices of the original singers, especially of the three that have been singing for Ar tonelico since its very beginning (Akiko Shikata, Haruka Shimotsuki and Noriko Mitose), not to mention the uniqueness that the composers and arranger give to them.

http://twitter.com/Leivra Leivra

Woah! That’s Excellent!
Now I have no complains, IT’S A DAY1!!!

kariohki

And it’s been confirmed in other interviews that yes, there is japanese audio >>

http://twitter.com/ZonronSekai Zonron

1. will there be any special art books or pre order bonuses outside of the nisa shop?

2. in comparison to the last two ar tonelico games, will this game feature even more challenging fights then the previous games?

(this is me staying on topic ;)

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

1) One hardcover artbook, which apparently will be a localized version of the Visual Artbook that accompanied the game in its JP release.

2) It does feature more challenging fights, especially if you try playing in Hard mode.

http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

Hard mode… *drolls*

http://twitter.com/Sieghardt Sieghardt

Have you fixed the bugs from the japanese version?

What resolution and framerate does the game run at?

Is the translation directly literal, done with a lot of liberties or done to convey the feelings and messages of the japanese text while sounding natural in english?

Finnel, Saki or Tyria? :P

Souji Tendou

Can you please make the DLCs free?

Edgar Cumplido

Give My Love and Thanks to NIS but maybe if a special edition is going to be at retail stores?

Oh well I already preordered my Copy
:D

PrinceHeir

well it’s not related to Ar Tonelico or anything but do they plan on bringing other games like Artelier Totori?

Zero_Destiny

You’re not the only one to ask something unrelated. lol Heck you’re not the only one to ask about Atelier Totori. XD It seems NISA is going to announce something at their press event so maybe we will get a Atelier Totori announcement after all :D If they do it’s a guarantee buy from me.

PrinceHeir

oh good. hopefully new games and totori as well :)

http://www.siliconera.com Spencer

*pan clapping noise*

Might want to read the post… (again)

PrinceHeir

that’s why i said it’s unrelated. nevermind will probably hear a announcement soon.

http://www.siliconera.com Spencer

And to make the whole fan-powered interview easier to sort through I kindly asked for readers to stay on topic and stick to Ar Tonelico Qoga questions.

Is that too much to ask?

PrinceHeir

okay will never happen again.

apologies.

Apollonis

How does this game compare to the previous two in the series in terms of the actual volume of material translated? Were there more, the same amount, or fewer scenes within the main story and within the individual characters’ cosmospheres? Roughly how many endings or branching paths might we expect?

What was the greatest challenge in localizing this release compared to previous works? What measures had to be taken, if any, to balance continuity and appeal to older fans with accessibility to players new to the series?

And–who were some of your favorite characters in the game? Who was most fun to write dialog for? Can you give us some examples? Just a personal preference question for whomever ends up getting interviewed.

Some of these may have been answered already, but oh well, that’s all I have for now and I’m planning to buy the game regardless, just thought it might be interesting to hear =)

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

I can answer the first two, at the least:

I’d say that there was much more text, considering the size of the script from the previous games and this one. Also, there aren’t any routes here, but there are a total of eight endings: two per each Reyvateil, an extra ending, and a bad ending.

Kris

I’m totally new to the AT series, but how does music play into the game’s narrative and/or combat? Innuendo and clothing removal aside, that seems to be what everyone talks about the series for.

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

The songs are basically manifestations of the Reyvateils’ (girls) feelings and wishes, which then turn into the magic that you can use in battle. Also, there are the Hymmnos songs, which are songs played in special moments, sung by the characters within the game, which cause effects that are integral to the plot and its development. Also, reading the lyrics, which are written in a mix of Japanese and Hymmnos (the language of the game) and its many dialects, gives you a deeper insight in the game’s plot, and in the motivations and feelings of the singer.

Kai2591

I love Ar Tonelico for having such deep details and depth….they should make a novel out of it……Or maybe not and just concentrate on such AWESOME JRPGs.

http://twitter.com/drachenmeister Chloe

Was yea ra accrroad orviclle tes yor!

What was it like picking out a voice for Mute? Of course, I’m curious about the rest too, but Mute is especially interesting for reasons I shouldn’t say, and it isn’t the muscle. ;)

Also, did you manage to get any VAs from AT1 and 2 to return?

(Assuming I didn’t butcher the hymnos, it’s supposed to say “I’d be happy to give you a question!”)

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

Nope, it’s correct.

Wackoramaco87

I apologize if this has been asked before, but would you be willing to have something explaining the first two games for those who haven’t had the chance to play them yet? Or would one’s best bet be just to find an online wiki, and read through it all? =D Thanks!

KuroAlmaz

I second this question… is DLC coming for Qoga? Will it come with the game or though PSN? What songs are coming on the soundtrack? Will NISA consider releasing the Hymnos cds. Will there be any chance of NISA releasing English versions of the artbooks to Ar Tonelico and/or other series?

KuroAlmaz

I second this question… is DLC coming for Qoga? Will it come with the game or though PSN? What songs are coming on the soundtrack? Will NISA consider releasing the Hymnos cds. Will there be any chance of NISA releasing English versions of the artbooks to Ar Tonelico and/or other series?

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_NFQZA7N5E7524P765GNUHUWT4M jeff

Umm new here.I only have one question is this going to be the last of the Ar tonelico Series? or it is still possible to have a sequel after this?

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

Like I said yesterday, the saga isn’t finished yet. There are still more Drama CDs, albums, and a light novel announced, and the official JP fansite still receives many updates and contributions per week (not to mention the series-wide poll that Gust is holding to see what features could be added or removed to a possible fourth game).

http://twitter.com/BMain86 Bryce Main

While I’m glad that NISA is localizing this title, I’m more curious regarding two things:

1. What kind of efforts were involved in localizing some of personalities in the game, like with translation and voice acting?

2. Possibly a hint towards what NISA might be releasing next (like the new Prinny image with the Cave Story accessories!)?

JustaGenericUser

1. Does the NA release automatically come with some DLC for free, and will every DLC come here?

2. Is the translation more literal like Atelier Rorona, or did you go all out in craziness like Trinity Universe?

3. What were you, the rest of NISA, and the voice actors thinking as you guys were working on the game? Like, were you laughing through the Purge scenes, or had to do retakes because of giggling at innuendo lines, etc.?

4. Are the English voice actors listed in the game?

5. (Unrelated, probably won’t be asked, but I must get it out) WILL WE EVER FIND OUT RORONA’S ENGLISH VOICE ACTOR??

a question for them: Is the game censored?
About the dlc there is a new episode in the jp store.

Croix

What extras will be included on the game disc (along the lines of the extras on the main menu after beating the last two games)? Will the western release see any additional extras not seen in the Japanese release?

Can’t get enough Ar Tonelico. I’ve already pre-ordered the premium pack, but I also love being able to see the creator’s comments on material that went into the game once you’ve completed it.

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

Yes, there is an Extras menu opened after clearing the game, and it’s pretty much the same as At2′s was (although none of the final boss songs can be played in there, except for XaaaCi.).

SupaPhly

will European buyers have extras too? (like soundtrack, artbook, etc)

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DCPOEB633R2S2EUPSC4ASHZY6Y Andre

Did they delete any Japanese audio files in replace with English due to memory space problems on the bluray disk? I would really hate that.

Kai2591

I would like to know that as well.

Kai2591

1. Availability of Japanese audio in the localized version? (Although this might be obvious, but just making sure..)

2. Did they cut anything? Any Japanese audio dialogue not included?.etc

3. Will they localize ALL DLCs available in Japan?

4. Is Qoqa really THE final end-all of of the Ar Tonelico series? Any form of continuation of the saga?
Any hints of Gust’s next project after Qoga (that replaces Ar Tonelico or something?).

…..i really hope they make another game with awesome music, epic story, detailed world, memorable/likeable characters, and similar systems/concepts like Ar Tonelico’s…like the dating sim part, diving, language.etc….

“And checking out something else you’ll hear about soon…”

I hope that’s something about Totori~

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

Like I said yesterday, the saga isn’t finished yet. There are still more Drama CDs, albums, and a light novel announced, and the official JP fansite still receives many updates and contributions per week (not to mention the series-wide poll that Gust is holding to see what features could be added or removed to a possible fourth game).

Kai2591

Thanks!

Good to know all that~ phew~

Hope there will be a 4th one..and too bad I won’t be able to understand the Drama CDs…man I need to master Japanese quick…

Gamescook

Will there be less sexism?

Neckbear

For the looks of it, nope.

Well, you DO have a feminist group filled with elitist Reyvateils this time around. To balance that out, however, you can make your oh-so-dear Reyvateils strip.

http://twitter.com/aquagon_drag aquagon

If by “elitist” you mean “completely control the region and all of its population”, then yes, they are elitist. And Purging aside, I’ve never actually considered Installing, Diving and such things as innuendo.

https://twitter.com/RaiohV ShinkaRaioh

Holy…I hope not! :O

videoman190

Are you guys surprised that the ESRB rated your game M when most of your games are either E to T?

Also welcome to the M rated club NISA!

manywelps

How is working with GUST compared to working with other developers?

How involved do their developers get in the localization?

Hundred_Legs

Only one question…

What’s up with the Times New Roman font that I’ve seen in the vids? It would have been better to at least stick with something similar that the first two games used.

http://twitter.com/ZonronSekai Zonron

i know i know, but the thing is im not that hyped about it. its pretty sad because i loved the first 2 games. im not sure if 3d was the way to go with the series. i have always been a fan of 2d games. though i might check it out anyway.

i thing a 2d hd game would have been sweet for this!

http://www.siliconera.com Spencer

Respectfully acknowledged, but for the sake of others who want to ask questions about Ar Tonelico Qoga (or insert name of title for a fan powered interview) could you not derail the topic?

Running fan powered Q&As are quite an effort from all sides so we’d appreciate that a lot. There may be another day for your question, but it’s not today.

http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

WHUAAAAT?! GET HYPED, NOW, IS AN ORDER

http://twitter.com/ZonronSekai Zonron

and probably not tomorrow either T^T

@WildArms ill try and get hyped, ill see if i can find a trailer!

edit- mmm trailer was “revealing” i might have to look into the story line. i think im feeling slightly hyped now ^^;

http://thrust-the-sky.deviantart.com/ WildArms

AND THE MUSIC!, the hymns! The atmosphere! THAT IS ANOTHER APPEAL OF AR TONELICO, FEEL IT, BREATH IT, LIVE IT!!

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